PM must go with an agenda to Pak.: Natwar Singh

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, JULY 30. The Congress today urged the Prime Minister,
Mr. A. B. Vajpayee, ``to do his homework'' and ``go with an
agenda'' to Pakistan for resuming summit negotiations with its
President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

``My respectful appeal to the Prime Minister is, for heaven's
sake, do your homework before going to the summit and keep the
powder dry,'' the CWC member and former External Affairs
Minister, Mr. K. Natwar Singh, told the media here. The
Government should not ``let its guard down'' while resuming the
peace negotiations.

Pointing out that the Kargil war broke out just months after the
Lahore Declaration was signed by Mr. Vajpayee, he said
``extending a hand of friendship should not mean lowering of
guard''.

The handling of the Agra summit by the National Democratic
Alliance Government had ``not done it any good''. The Government
went into the summit ``unprepared and without any agenda'', while
the Pakistan President ``succeeded'' in making Jammu and Kashmir
the ``one-point agenda''.

The Congress had always favoured continuation of peace
negotiations, but it was the Vajpayee government which had
maintained that there was no scope for talks with Pakistan unless
it halted cross-border terrorism. However, the Government ``made
a sudden u-turn'' and invited Gen.Musharraf for talks. ``The
Prime Minister is yet to explain why this u-turn was done?''

To a query, Mr. Singh said the agenda for further negotiations
should comprise cross-border terrorism, nuclear understanding,
Jammu and Kashmir and opening of Consul-General offices in both
the countries.

Mr. Singh was here to participate in a function in which Mr. C.
R. Kesavan, late C.Rajagopalachari's great grandson, formally
joined the Congress.

Asked whether India should play a mediatory role in the context
of the escalating violence in Sri Lanka, he said the island
Government had not sought India's intervention.

On the controversial transfer of three IPS officers including the
Chennai Police Commissioner by the Centre to the Cabinet
Secretariat in New Delhi, he said he was not aware of the
details. Nonetheless, civil servants should not be subjected to
``political manoeuvring''. While there should be no political
pressure on bureaucrats, the officers too should remain ``above
politics and perform their duties impartially''.